April Fool's Day

News about April Fool's Day, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Apr. 1, 2014

Advertising column; April 1, also known as April Fool's, is a day for pranksters, and businesses and chambers of commerce are vying for top attention; examples of several humorous pranks noted. MORE

Apr. 2, 2013

Odessa Journal; tourists pour into Odessa, Ukraine, to celebrate April Fools' Day, day on which residents celebrate city's tradition of wry humor and charming scoundrels; practice began 40 years ago. MORE

Apr. 1, 2012

Modern whoopee cushion was invented by Canadian rubber company JEM in the 1930s, although some speculate that it may have originated in medieval courts; interview with comedian Bob Saget questions whether it is useful for April Fool's Day. MORE

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April 1, 2013, Monday

It’s April Fool’s Day, and companies from Google to Virgin Atlantic have put up great jokes on the Web. Check out Nokia’s new line of microwave ovens and Twitter’s decision to eliminate all vowels on its free service to pack more information...

April 1, 2013, Monday

Retailers and advertising agencies started their April Fool’s campaigns early this year for much the same reason that they front-run Christmas and Super Bowl campaigns: the ability of social media to convey and amplify marketing messages.